In the late afternoon of May 18, 2020, a tiny cub was illegally put up for sale on the busy streets of Son La, Vietnam. The female cub was just a few months old when she was put up for sale by illegal wildlife traders on the Laos border.
Although illegal, Asiatic black bears in Vietnam are still smuggled, bought, sold and farmed for their bile.
In this case, a local family noticed the trade and intervened to save the baby bear from life imprisonment on a bear farm or from being killed for human consumption. The Vietnam team was asked to take action by our local cooperation partner and the Vietnamese authorities and asked them to save this little baby bear – Mochi.
Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, the rescue operation had to take place under tight security. Nevertheless, the small team from BEAR SANCTUARY Ninh Binh made the four and a half hour journey to Son La province to rescue the little bear.
Just a few months later, two more bear cubs were rescued from the illegal trade, now Mochi is joined by Nikko and Nara!